Surgeon Bikram Bal is cutting his teeth on a new career that saw him scoot up the Kindle Books chart soon after Christmas.

Herts Advertiser: Through Your Eyes coverThrough Your Eyes cover (Image: Archant)

Bikram, who lives in St Albans, released his debut novel, Through Your Eyes, in the Amazon Kindle store over the festive period.

And almost immediately it entered the top 40 most popular paid Kindle Books in three genres.

Bikram, 45, a father of two who works full-time for the NHS as an oral surgeon in London and St Albans, is currently finishing his second book and has started on his third.

He taps out his novels on his tablet while he is commuting.

It was a dream on a Sunday morning in August which led Bikram to embark on a writing career. He explained: “It was a little bizarre to wake up with the entire story in my head and it only took just under three weeks to get most of the storyline down.”

Set in London, the book is about a man obsessed with movies who is forever in search of adventure although he is a coward at heart.

He has a surreal encounter with a beautiful woman but ends up hurtling through a mind-bending nightmare through time that he could never have imagined in the wildest movies of his imagination - and he is playing the lead role.

The book has garnered glowing reviews on Kindle including praise for it as a ‘spectacular debut’ and a ‘gripping read’.

Bikram said: “It’s taken me 45 years to get round to writing a book and then, just like buses, three come along at the same time. I can honestly say, I love writing.”

His new career got a boost when he was invited as a guest author to a book club event being held at Hare and Hounds pub in St Albans next month.

Through Your Eyes, by B.J.S Bal, is available to download from the Kindle store at www.amazon.co.uk for 99p.